Speaker: Darlene Sala | Series: Encouraging Words

An artist decided to begin work on what he meant to be the masterpiece of his life.  In his mind he knew exactly what he wanted to paint. He was working on the canvas, putting on the drab colors and grays that were to make up the background, when a friend came by to see him.

“What do you think of this?” the artist asked his friend. “I plan for it to be the greatest work I have ever done.”

His friend could hardly suppress his laughter. “It looks like one big daub of paint,” the friend responded.

“Ah,” replied the artist, “you cannot see what is going to be there. I can.”[1]

God knows what He wants to paint on the canvas of your life. He has something specific in mind. As you look at yourself, you may not see much potential. You might say your life looks like one drab daub of paint.  But the Divine Artist has an image in mind.

You see, it’s not up to the canvas to become a valuable piece of art—it’s up to the artist. The canvas itself isn’t worth a lot.  But when the artist transfers the vision he sees in his mind to the canvas, the work becomes beautiful and valuable.

Most of us have ideas of what we would like to accomplish. But we can do no better than to offer ourselves to God to create in us the work of art He has in mind. His plans are far greater than ours, for He says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).

Offer yourself to the Lord and He will truly make something beautiful of your life. As the Bible says, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). You can trust Him to do it.

 

 

 

[1] H. A. Ironside, Notes on Philippians (New York: L. B. Printing Co., Inc., 1943), 19-20.